Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Teens Yelled 'Heil Hitler' and Ran Over Jewish Man's Foot, Police Say

 Police said a Jewish man walking along the pedestrian walkway on Eastern Parkway was hit by a teenager on a bike on Thursday. Another teen, also riding a bike, yelled
Police said a Jewish man walking along the pedestrian walkway on Eastern Parkway was hit by a teenager on a bike on Thursday. Another teen, also riding a bike, yelled "Heil Hitler!" to the man as he passed.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Rachel Holliday Smith

CROWN HEIGHTS — Investigators are looking for two bike-riding teenagers who yelled “Heil Hitler” at a Jewish man before running over his foot.

The incident happened just before 7 p.m. Thursday on Eastern Parkway between Brooklyn and Kingston avenues in Crown Heights, police said.

The 59-year-old man was walking westbound on the parkway's pedestrian walkway when the two teenage boys rode toward him, going eastbound. As they approached the man, one yelled “Heil Hitler!” at him, police said, and the other ran over his foot with his bicycle.

The man — who was uninjured — reported the crime to local police after attending a wedding on Eastern Parkway, sources said.

Investigators from the NYPD’s Hate Crime Unit are looking into the report, police said.

A day after the incident, the regional director of New York’s Anti-Defamation League, Evan Bernstein, released a a statement saying, “New Yorkers, of any religion, race or ethnicity must be able to walk the sidewalks of their own neighborhoods without fear of being targeted because of how they look or what they believe.”

“While the vast majority of Jews in New York City feel secure, when we witness such deeply troubling events taking place in our backyards, it is cause for concern,” he added.

The incident was first reported by the Jewish news site JPUpdates.com.

Anyone with information in regards to the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).